From Gather:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [Monday] announced a number of actions to address the potential effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in the manufacture of a wide range of consumer and industrial products. The BPA action plan released [Monday] focuses on the environmental impacts of BPA and will look to add BPA to EPA’s list of chemicals of concern and require testing related to environmental effects…

Food packaging represents the most obvious source of BPA exposure to people and is regulated by FDA. Unlike FDA, EPA has authority over the potential environmental impacts of BPA…The EPA action plan on the environmental impacts of BPA includes:

-Adding BPA to the chemical concern list on the basis of potential environmental effects.

-Requiring information on concentrations of BPA in surface water, ground water, and drinking water to determine if BPA may be present at levels of potential concern.

-Requiring manufacturers to provide test data to assist the agency in evaluating its possible impacts, including long-term effects on growth, reproduction, and development in aquatic organisms and wildlife.

-Using EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program to look for ways to reduce unnecessary exposures, including assessing substitutes, while additional studies continue.

-And, continuing to evaluate the potential disproportionate impact on children and other sub-populations through exposure from non-food packaging uses.

The full news release can be found on the EPA news website.
Click on the links for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the Bureau Veritas Group:

The state of Wisconsin has passed a law banning bisphenol A (BPA) in child’s containers. In addition to the ban on BPA, the law also includes a requirement that all product that complies with the ban must be labeled as not containing the chemical. This law becomes effective as of June 15, 2010 and applies to manufacturer’s and retail inventory, as well as new product being produced or sold.

For additional information follow the link above.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From Health Canada:

On March 20th, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, released the draft screening assessment reports for 17 substances assessed in Batch 9 of the Chemicals Management Plan. Proposed risk management information on Batch 9 substances was also provided for those substances considered likely to require actions to reduce risks.

The Government is proposing five substances assessed in Batch 9 may pose a risk to human health (methyl eugenol, vanadium oxide, potassium bromate, NDTHPM and TGOPE).

In addition to recommending the five substances proposed harmful to human health be added to Schedule 1 of CEPA, 1999, the Government is also proposing that a future use notification tool be applied to all five substances in addition to other risk management activities. This provision requires that the Government be notified of any new import, manufacture or use of these substances, and that human health and ecological screening assessments be completed before considering whether to allow these uses.

The Government is also recommending the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provision of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999), be applied to six other chemicals assessed in Batch 9 (Pigment Yellow 24, Pigment Red 88, Eosine Lead Lake, BDN, BDAC, and Solvent Red 49.)…

Click here for the full news release.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the United States Environmental Protection Agency:

As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s strong commitment to increase information on chemicals, for the first time, EPA is providing web access, free of charge, to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory. This inventory contains a consolidated list of thousands of industrial chemicals maintained by the agency. EPA is also making this information available on Data.Gov, a website developed by the Obama Administration to provide public access to important government information. This action represents another step to increase the transparency of chemical information while continuing to push for legislative reform of the 30 year old TSCA law.

In the coming months, EPA will take further steps to increase transparency and make more information available to the public, including adding TSCA facility information, and the list of chemicals manufactured to the Facility Registry System (FRS). FRS is an integrated database that provides the public with easier access to EPA’s environmental information and better tools for cross-media environmental analysis. The addition of TSCA facility and chemical databases to FRS will provide the public with information on the facilities in their communities using industrial chemicals.

Click on the above link for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

March 2010: Sewing Machine Oil

Health Canada’s auditing process has revealed that this product does not have the proper hazard labelling and child resistant caps, as required by Canadian law.

If you have any doubts about the compliancy of your chemical products, please do not hesitate to contact us. More information about our label review services can be found here:

• Canadian Consumer Label Review
• Canadian Industrial Label Review
• Canadian Cosmetic Product Label Review

We can be contacted at:

Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From ECHA:

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published proposals to identify eight chemicals as Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and possible candidates for authorisation..Interested parties are invited to comment on the eight proposals by 22 April 2010.

The detailed proposals along with the potential chemicals are available here: New public consultation on eight potential substances of very high concern

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: REACH compliance, EU SDS authoring, SDS authoring

March 2010: Solvents and Oils

Health Canada’s auditing process has revealed that the recalled products do not meet labelling requirements under Canadian law.

• lack the toxicity symbols and warnings required for poisonous consumer chemicals.

• lack the spontaneously combustible symbols and warnings required for flammable consumer chemicals. Products identified as spontaneously combustible may cause rags and cloths used with the product to burn on their own.

If you have any doubts about the compliancy of your chemical products, please do not hesitate to contact us. More information about our label review services can be found here:

• Canadian Consumer Label Review
• Canadian Industrial Label Review
• Canadian Cosmetic Product Label Review

We can be contacted at:

Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

March 2010: Aerosol product

The product does not have the mandatory labelling as required under Canadian law. The product lacks the symbol and warnings required for potentially flammable and explosive products.

If you have any doubts about the compliancy of your chemical products, please do not hesitate to contact us. More information about our label review services can be found here:

• Canadian Consumer Label Review
• Canadian Industrial Label Review
• Canadian Cosmetic Product Label Review

We can be contacted at:

Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the Bureau Veritas Group:

An amendment to the Lead in Surface Coating requirements in the Canadian Hazardous Products Act has been proposed by Parliament. This proposal would reduce the total lead limit for surface coatings from 600 mg/kg to 90 mg/kg for furniture, toys, other articles intended for children, equipment and other products used by children for play or learning, pencils and artists’ brushes. The amendment would bring the Canadian requirement in line with the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). A 75-day comment period is effective as of February 27, 2010 for interested parties.

To view the proposed bill click the following: Regulations Amending the Surface Coating Materials Regulations

For more information or to submit a comment see the link above.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the OEHHA:

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has found that acrylamide meets the criteria for listing as a reproductive toxicant under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. Acrylamide meets the criteria for listing as known to the State to cause reproductive toxicity under Proposition 65, based on findings of NIOSH and NTP-CERHR.

Because of the significant public interest in this chemical, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking identifying a proposed Maximum Allowable Dose Level (MADL) is being published concurrently with this notice of intent to list. OEHHA is proposing a MADL for acrylamide to assist stakeholders and the general public in assessing the potential impact of the listing. In the event the chemical is not listed for those endpoints, OEHHA will not proceed with the adoption of the proposed MADL.

Relevant information related to the possible listing of this chemical was requested in a notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Register on August 22, 1997 (Register 97, No. 34-Z). A public forum was held on October 1, 1997. Written comments were received and responses provided.OEHHA is committed to public participation in its implementation of Proposition 65. OEHHA wants to ensure that its regulatory decisions are based on a thorough consideration of all relevant information. If you wish to comment on whether this chemical meets the criteria for listing provided in Section 25306, please submit your comments to OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

For more information on the proposed listing or to submit a comment follow this link: NOTICE OF INTENT TO LIST ACRYLAMIDE

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring